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Letter: Tragic loss of another majestic oak at Oak Knoll

On the night of Jan. 4, one of the few remaining oak trees at Oak Knoll Elementary School became another victim of "facility development" by the district.

I have no doubt an argument could be made otherwise, but I know that the tree was compromised by years of previous neglect and finally succumbed to excessive disturbance within the tree canopy that fatally damaged the root structure of the tree. I wonder how much longer the remaining oaks will last, as they have suffered at least as much trauma, especially the oak on Oak Avenue with its roots entirely covered by asphalt.

I fear that the response will be to interpret this event as justification for removing trees that were "unhealthy" or at the natural end of their life, rather than to accept responsibility for the tree's demise as a direct result of construction that could have been achieved elsewhere, despite claims otherwise.

Kristin Duriseti, Oak Knoll Lane, Menlo Park